Above: Riku Miura and Ryuichi Kihara perform in the pairs free program at the 2024 World Figure Skating Championships. Photo by FloweringDagWood (CC BY-3.0) on Wikimedia Commons
Milano Cortina 2026 gave rise to some of the most amazing winter athletes from all across the world. Despite not being a top powerhouse like Norway, Germany, the USA or Italy, Japan is surprising the world with its mesmerizing performance on the ice. The Japanese pair skaters, Riku Miura and Ryuichi Kihara, set a pairs free skating world record by winning Japan's 1st Olympic pairs gold in the free skate on Monday, 16th February at the Milano Cortina Olympics.
It is not the first time that the Miura-Kihara pair surprised us with their performance, but it looked impossible at first glance. Their unusual slip on a lift had almost changed their fate, and they had to catch up to make it to the podium. Eventually, they scored 158.13 points in their free skate and finished with 231.24 points, their career best and the score that helped them clinch that much-deserved gold medal.
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People are calling their final performance one of the best comebacks at Milano Cortina 2026. At one point, they were in fifth place after the short program, but the beautiful pair did not let the fall decide their fate and surpassed all the other contenders to deliver their "performance of the year". Apart from the Japanese pair, the Georgian duo of Anastasiia Metelkina and Luka Berulava won Georgia's first medal at the Winter Games, scoring 221.75 points.
On the other hand, the German pair of Minerva Fabienne Hase and Nikita Volodin entered the free skating event as one of the favorites. Still, their Japanese and Georgian counterparts outplayed them, leading them to settle for a bronze medal with 219.09 points. What made Miura-Kihara's performance exemplary was the "Gladiator" music and their flawless free skating moves, which looked like a poem in motion.
Miura-Kihara: From trough to crest
Champions are not only defined by their peak performance but also by their ability to come back even when the odds of winning are low. During the short program, Ryuichi Kihara slipped on a lift dismount, costing them a point and affecting their scores. It was their lowest short score (73.11) since November 2024. Kihara was at his emotional low, even crying in despair, but it was Coach Bruno Marcotte who transformed him.
Marcotte spoke to Kihara, telling him, "It's not over." Besides, Riku Miura supported and counselled Kihara to help him focus. Bruno Marcotte has been training these World Champions (2023, 2025) in Toronto for a long time. The pair was exceptional at the team event for Japan's silver medal last week, and already had high expectations for the pairs event.
At the Free skate start, they nailed a triple toe-double axel double axel sequence perfectly, which gave them a head start. Besides, the clean salchows and graceful throw triple loop made them the only medalists with no negative grades of execution on 11 elements. By getting several +5s and +4s from judges, Miura-Kihara roared at the free skate score. They knelt and hugged when the gold medal was announced.
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Miura-Kihara: Pure Magic in Milan
The 2026 Winter Games delivered a pairs figure skating finale defined by historic resilience and chaotic shifts. Early drama saw veterans like 42-year-old Deanna Stellato-Dudek of Canada struggle following a painful warm-up injury, ultimately finishing 11th. Meanwhile, China’s Sui Wenjing and Han Cong capped a remarkable comeback from retirement to take fifth. Despite American leaders Emily Chan and Spencer Howe initially breaking the 200-point barrier, the night belonged to those who could weather the immense Olympic pressure.
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Japan’s Riku Miura and Ryuichi Kihara authored the night's most emotional chapter, shattering decades of national struggle in the discipline. After years of failing to qualify for free skates with previous partners, Kihara found his match in the fearless Miura. All thanks to their immaculate performance and Hans Zimmer's music, which made their comeback way more beautiful than expected. They met at the Japan Skating Federation Seminar and have been partnering together for almost seven years.
It is not only a historic gold medal but also a sign of the shifting global sports landscape. Japan has been one such nation that dominated singles skating, but has never been that good in pairs. Riku Miura and Ryuichi Kihara have paved the way for other Japanese pairs to follow. Their journey from a short-program deficit to a dominant win would stay as one of the best comeback stories of 2026.
